Start with the steamed chicken momo. It is the plainest thing we make and the fairest test of the kitchen. Eight pieces, a bowl of tomato achar, nothing to hide behind. If this is right, everything else will be.
Then the jhol momo. The broth takes eight hours and carries tomato, sesame and timur pepper, which is the one that makes your lip buzz slightly. Order it before it cools; it is a dish with a window.
Somewhere in the middle, the kothey. Pan-fried flat on one side and steamed on the other, so you get crisp and soft in the same bite. This is the one people order on the way out the door because they saw it on someone else's table.
The chili paneer, even if you did not come for vegetarian food. Wok-charred, sharp with vinegar, and hot in a way that builds rather than announces itself. Half our regulars have never looked at this part of the menu.
Finish with the juju dhau. Set yoghurt, barely sweet, served cold. After chili and broth it does the job that dessert is supposed to do, which is to make you quiet for a minute.
If you are ordering for two, that is a comfortable spread with one thing left over. If you are ordering for four, add a noodle dish and a plate of greens and you have covered the table.
